Academic Advising And A Core Curriculum: The First Year .

Academic advisingand a corecurriculum: Thefirst yearexperienceUniversity of the Free State(SOUTH AFRICA)Wendy Khanye and Lauren OosthuizenT: 27(0)51 401 9111 info@ufs.ac.za www.ufs.ac.za

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FYE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Higher education in South Africa Higher education participation rates remain low in comparison toother countries.30% who enter SA higher education system annually drop outduring their first year.Less than 50% of students who enrol for diplomas or degrees evergraduate.Only one in three students of the intake into 3 year degreesgraduate in record time or within 4 years.Fewer than 50% receive a higher education qualification after 5years (Scott, et al., 2008).University of the Free State (South Africa)

Higher education in South Africa“Financial difficulties among the country's large pool of poor blackstudents are, unsurprisingly, largely to blame as first generationstudents from low-income, less educated families are the mostlikely to drop out.”[www.universityworldnews.com (SOUTH AFRICA: Student drop-outrates alarming)]University of the Free State (South Africa)

Contextualising FYE in South AfricaDifferent models of FYE across the country – most models focus ona connection of service points.Institution 11. Placement testing2. Orientation andregistrationprogramme3. Library and LMSorientation4. Tracking of studentperformance5. Tutorial programmes6. Co-curricular activities7. Residences as centresof academic excellenceInstitution 21.2.3.4.Early AssessmentCareers ServiceWellness ServiceOrientation andAdvocacy5. Writing Centre6. Information website7. Academic and nonacademic supportworkshopsUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)Institution 31.2.3.4.5.OrientationComputer skillsCareer informationFinancial adviceSuccess skills (timemanagement, exampreparation)

FYE in the US5 key elements of an effective FYE, defined by NRC (2008): Student transitions: Student Orientation.Connection between research and practice: Supportive campusenvironment and learning communities.Inclusions: Developmental academic advising.Collaboration: Academic student tutorial support.Lifelong learning: Curriculum and co-curricular interventions.University of the Free State (South Africa)

FYE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE

FYE at the University of the Free StateOrientation and academic success skillsAcademic Advising and the core curriculum module (UFS101)Enhance learning, development and engagement throughacademic advising and the core curriculum module.University of the Free State (South Africa)

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Academic Advising in the South African context An important component with rich tradition of helping studentsmake the most of their higher education career.Essential is integrating with first-year transition programmes –academic advisors are the key agents contributing towards theinformational, conceptual and relational skills received by thestudent.A process to enhance student engagement in first-year.Improved academic advising services contribute to studentsatisfaction and retention within the institution (NACADA, 2008)University of the Free State (South Africa)

Why UFS students need better advising Underprepared for higher educationFirst generation studentsMajority (commuter) students feel that the UFS does notcare about them – limited sense of belongingUFS students overload themselves in terms of creditsBetter advice helps students to plan better, progress quicker andmore successfully through their degrees.(SASSE 2009)University of the Free State (South Africa)

Academic Advising Approaches at dDevelopmental

Orientation & RegistrationCommunication channelsGoals and objectivesSemester 1 Tracking progressExam preparation. QuarterQuarter12QuarterQuarter43Year-end examinationsAcademic advice for thenext yearFuture plans Semester 2University of the Free State (South Africa)Second semesterregistrationRevisit goals andobjectives

CORE CURRICULUM MODULE

UFS101 as the core curriculum module First of its kind in South Africa.Different from the typical University 101 model. Vice-chancellor felt that it should focus more on a commonintellectual experience than academic success skills.Delivered on a large scale - 5000 students in 2014.Flipping the classroom in 2014. University of the Free State (South Africa)

Overview of UFS101Multi-disciplinary, core curriculum module for undergraduate students.OutcomesDisciplines: Anthropology,Law, Astrophysics,Economics, Chemistry and Social Psychology Astrobiology,History,Explain the value of different disciplinary perspectives;Apply different disciplinary perspectives as part of critical thinking;Demonstrate basic reflective academic skills – reading, writing andargumentation skills; andReflect on how higher education empowers citizens to engage with thechallenges facing the 21st century world (locally and globally).University of the Free State (South Africa)

UFS101 growth in student numbers2014 200 students (Bloemfontein campus)20132012BFN: Full roll outwith 4500 students2011BFN: Full roll outwith 4000 studentsBFN: Full roll outwith 2000 studentsBFN: Pilot with 200studentsUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)QQ: Pilot of 150studentsQQ: Full roll outwith 400 studentsKBY: Full roll outwith 180 students

Why? Avoid one-way transfer ofinformation Students participate actively Responsible for their ownlearningUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)How?Blended Learning in UFS101 Videos Discussions Debates

Large Class Teaching in UFS101 “ comprise between 150and 300 students or upto 500 students.” (ExeterAmeratunga,Ratima,Morton, Dickson, Hsu &Jackson, 2007) UFS101 Megaclass South African ContextUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)

ChallengesLarge Class Teaching in UFS101 Adaptation of lecturing methodsAnonymityUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)

ASSESSING IMPACT THROUGH STUDENTENGAGEMENT

Student Engagement“ the amount of time and effort students spend on academicactivities. allocation of resources and organising of learningopportunities and services from the institution.” (Kuh, Kinze, Shuh &Whitt, 2005)A focus on student engagement offers institutions the opportunity toenhance the prospects for a diverse range of students to survive andthrive in higher education. The Engagement Indicators of studentengagement are: Academic challenge Learning with Peers Experiences with Staff Supportive campus environment High-Impact Practices (McCormick, Gonyea, Kinzie, 2013)University of the Free State (South Africa)

Student Engagement“Advising is viewed as a way to connect students to the campus andhelp them feel that someone is looking out for them.”“When done well, academic advising helps students to develop andact on meaningful educational plans and contributes to theinstitution’s teaching and learning mission.”-Kuh, 2007-University of the Free State (South Africa)

Student Engagement in South AfricaMean scores of benchmarks of student engagementacross universities in South Africa vel of AcademicChallengeActive portive CampusEnvironment

Student Engagement and the FYEDe Sousa (2005) identifies a few guiding principles that blend studentadvising, engagement and the core curriculum to promote lifelong learning:– Think of advising as a tag-team activity Faculty and support staff interventions to support and contribute tostudents’ teaching and learning (Registration and first-yearorientation).– Help students map out a path to success Academic success presentation in the Orientation programme.– Focus on meaningful interactions with students Learning communities promoting peer-facilitated support andacademic tutorial programmes for first-year “high-risk” modules. Core curriculum module – UFS101.– Connect students to co-curricular learning opportunities P3 mentors and tutorial groups where skills development takesplace.– Encourage students to seek out and learn from experiences withdifferent forms of diversity The university core curriculum module – UFS101.University of the Free State (South Africa)

Student Engagement at the University of theFree StateIn comparison to other universities in South Africa, the first yearstudents scored: Significantly higher on Academic Challenge Significantly lower on Learning with Peers Significantly higher on Experiences with Staff (2013)High impact practices included learning societies, service-learning,research with staff, and practical learning.Of the first year students, only 33% participated in HIPs.

UFS101 and Academic AdvisingUFS101Academic AdvisingEducation gap between highschool and university; scaffoldingis required.Contributes to scaffolding.Focus on student engagementbenchmarks.Focus on student engagementbenchmarks.FYE is strengthened by this dual approach between teaching andlearning and student support.University of the Free State (South Africa)

EVIDENCE OF ASSESSMENT

Academic Advising and Student EngagementTotal number of enrolments per faculty at the University of the 0EducationEconomic andManagementSciencesHealthSciencesLawNatural 26020137353474625796863334056532622011University of the Free State (South Africa)20122013

Academic Advising and Student EngagementData collectionFirst-year mainstream studentinterviews (proactive advising)Online reflection journals (perterm)Research approachAction researchUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)

Academic Advising and Student EngagementPilot study of pro-active academic advising sessionsAveragenumber ofsessionsMinimumnumber ofsessionsMaximumnumber ofsessionsEconomic and Management Sciences216Law315Health Sciences424Humanities214Theology325Natural and Agricultural Sciences416Education213Faculty“Hey. Just needed some to talk to. It’s been so hard to adjust to the varsitylevel but now it’s getting better. Now that I know theirs is someone like youto listen to my thoughts and where about I am starting to show my fullpotential and the best I can be I want to schedule a monthly session withyou if that’s possible.”University of the Free State (South Africa)

UFS101 and Student EngagementData collectionOnline surveys and focus groupswith students and learningfacilitatorsResearch approachAction research and annualformative evaluationUniversity of the Free State (South Africa)

UFS101 Academic challengeLevel of academic challenge appropriate for first-years1009088878072736873Evaluation 1Evaluation 2Evaluation 1Evaluation 2706050403020100Evaluation 1Evaluation 22011University of the Free State (South Africa)20122013

UFS101 Academic challengeLevel of academic challenge“The questions we dealt with during this unit was very challenging for most ofthe students and difficult to answer but they were not impossible to answerone just had to think outside of your usual mindset.”“There were times that I struggled because you have to think deeper thannormal. But I did it and I liked it.”“The difficulty of this module does allow us to think and challenges uspositively.”“I am an accounting major yet I could fairly comprehend the content of all theunits and where I fell a bit short, the availible materials on blackboard andthe studyguide helped me to fill in the blanks.”University of the Free State (South Africa)

UFS101 Learning with peersActive and collaborative learning“ . being put on the spot with questions that we do not have an answer forand them getting a remark about how wrong it is causes that you do not wantto take part in the discussions.”“I liked the fact that most lectures were open up for discussions which madeus students to even understand things more better”“It allows students to take part in the module by discussion more than anymodel”“The learning facilitators were prepared and the fellow students respectedeach other's views. Tutorials were a chance for us to sit down with fellowstudents all from different back rounds [sic] and to just talk with each other.The facilitators created a pleasant atmosphere and I really enjoyed UFS101!”University of the Free State (South Africa)